What happens when a regional conflict becomes a global stress test? A war with Iran could trigger cascading crises—from the Strait of Hormuz to global markets, from fragile alliances to generations shaped by instability. This essay traces the pathways through which small decisions intersect with volatile structures, showing how imagination and restraint might interrupt—or fail to stop—the momentum toward catastrophe. We are Making a New World, painting, Paul Nash 1918 -- publ